Lapping-machine.



N0. 695,l60. Patented Mar. ll, I902.

W. l. LEWIS. LAPPING MACHINE.

(Application filed Apr. 29, 1901.)

(No Model.)

NITE

Parent FFICE.

\VILLARD I. LEXVIS, OF \VALPOLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

LAPPlNG-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 695,160, dated March 11, 1902.

' Application filed April 29, 19 01. Serial No. 57,913. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ILLARD I. LEWIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Valpole, in the county of Norfolk, State of Massa chusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Lapping- Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings. p 7

My'invention' has relation to machines for forming laps or bats of cotton or other fibrous materials for use as filling for comforters, mattresses, and other purposes.

More especially the invention relates to machines of that class in which the fleece from a carding-engine is laid in transverse folds upon the surface of a slowly-moving receiving or forming apron. The said apron is frequently of considerable width. In practice it is customary to mount the said apron upon a carriage which is traversed back and forth beneath the rolls by which the fleece from a the carding-engine is delivered to the apron.

This is inconvenient, because of the weight and bulk of the parts requiring to be moved and for other reasons. In some cases the receiving-apron does not traverse, but the rolls delivering thereto are traversed crosswise of the apron, and in connection with the traversing rolls there is employed a camel-back, over which the fleece passes on its way from the doffer of the carding-engine to the rolls, and by means of the apron or aprons of which the fleece is supported and guided to the rolls in all positions of the latter, the slack in the fleece which would be produced by the movement of the rolls toward the doffer being taken up by the rise of the camel-back and being again given out by the descent of the camelback as the rolls recede from the doffer. This arrangement is objectionable because of the height of the camel-back and of the room taken up thereby, as well as on account of the power which is consumed in the movement of the parts thereof. It is necessary that the pitch of the sides of the camel-back should not exceed a certain steepness when the camel-back is in its most erect position; otherwise the portion of the fleece extending thereover will break or tear on account of its weight, and it follows therefrom that when the delivering-rollers are required to be traversed over a receiving-apronof considerable width a considerable amount of floor-space must be devoted to the machine.

The aim of the invention is to obviate the drawbacks and disadvantages of the forms of lapping-machines which heretofore have been employed.

The invention consists in a machine embodying the features of improvement which I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which latter isrepresented an embodiment of the in vention.

In the drawings, Figure l is a partly-sec tional elevation showing an embodiment of the invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional detail View of portion of the carriage and parts connected therewith. Fig. 3 is an elevation of one end of the carriage.

Having reference to the drawings, at 1 is indicated the doffer of a carding-engine, and at 2 the doffer knife or comb by means of which the fleece is dotted or stripped there from.

3 3 designate the upper and lower portions of a receiving or forming apronon which the lap or bat is accumulated or formed, and 44.

are rolls supporting theupper and lower portions of the said apron. I have not shown the entire apron, since it is of well-known character, and in practice it maybe arranged, supported, and operated in any Well-known or approved manner. The rolls 4 4 have the shafts thereof mounted in suitable fixed bearings 5 5. Above the apron 3 is located a pair of delivering-rollers 6 6, by means of which the fleece from' the doifer l is discharged onto the receiving portion of the said apron 3. The said rollers are journaled in a small frame 7, which is mounted upon rails, one of which is shown at 8 extending ends, as by means of a shaft 31.

to side of the latter any approved means may be employed in practice. I have herein shown an endless'belt or chain 11 passing around sheaves or sprocket-wheels 12 12, mounted on blocks 1313, arranged above the opposite edges of the apron 3 and fastened at the required distance apart upon a supporting-rod 14, which extends from one upright or standard 9 to the other above the apron. The carriage 7 has pivoted thereto one end of a link 15, having its other end connected pivotally with the endless belt or chain 11.

Theparticular devices which I have just described constitute a well-known means of producing the required reciprocating movement of the carriage 7 and the rolls carried thereby from the continuous movement of the endless belt or chain 11. For the purpose -of operating the belt or chain 11 a pulley or sprocket-wheel 16 is made fast with one of the sheaves or sprocket-wheels 12, and around the said pulley or sprocket-wheel 16 passes a band or chain 17, also passing around a pulley or sprocket-wheel 18, fast on a shaft 19, mounted in bearings on one of the uprights or standards 9. On the said shaft 19 is a pulley or sprocket-wheel 20, around which passes a band or chain 21, also passing around a driving pulley or sprocket 22, turning in unison with a spur-gear 23, meshsng with the doffer-' gear 24. Through the means described the required motion of the endless belt or chain 11 is derived from the doffer. The deliveringrolls 6 6 are rotated by means of driving connections with the shaft 19, which will permit of relative movement of the saidrolls to and from the said shaft. Variops arrangements of driving connections suitable for the purpose are well known and may be employed according as preferred. In the present instance I have shown a simple arrangement in which the two delivering-rolls are connected to turn in unison by means of gears 25, meshing with each other, one of said rolls having fast therewith a sprocket-Wheel 26, around which passes a sprocket-chain 27, also passing around a sprocket-wheel 28, suitably mounted on the carriage 7. A bar or link 29 is pivoted to the carriage 7, and extends upwardly therefrom, and a similar bar or link 30 is hung upon the shaft 19 or otherwise pivoted concentrically therewith, the two bars or links being pivoted together at their upper A sprocketwheel 32 turns in unison with the sprocketwheel 28 on the vcarriage 7, and a chain 33 passes around the said sprocket-wheel 32 and a sprocket-wheel 34 on the shaft 31. Achain 35 passes around a sprocket-wheel 36 on the said shaft 31 and also around a sprocketwheel 37 on the shaft 19. The devices described constitute a well-known form of expansion sprocket-gearing.

For the purpose of conveying the fleece from the doifer to the delivery-rolls on the carriage 7 an apron 39 is passed around the roll 38, which is journaled in said carriage, and also around a roll 40, adjacent the doifer 1. Either or both of the rolls just mentioned may be driven in practice for the purpose of operating the said'apron. I prefer to drive both, since thereby the best results are attained. The roll 38 is driven from the shaft 19 through the sprocket-gearing described, the sprocket-wheels 28 and 32 being fast with said roll. The roll 40 may be driven from the doffer, as by means of a spur-gear 41, fast with the said roll, meshing with the dotfergear 24. The fleece stripped from the doffer by means of a dofting knife or comb falls onto the upper surface of the apron 39 and by the latter is conveyed to the delivering-rolls 6 6 on the carriage 7, and from the latter it falls on the upper surface of the apron 3, being laid in transverse folds thereupon by the reciprocations or traverse of the said carriage.

For the purpose of taking up the slack in the apron 39 as the carriage '7 moves toward the doffer and of yielding up the said .slack again as the carriage recedes from the doffer I employ the arrangement which I will now describe.

41 41 and 42 42 are two pairs of guide-rollers for the upper and lower portions of the apron 39, the said guide-rollers being located at points intermediate the apron 3 and the roll 40. In connection with the apron 39 I also employ movable gravitating take-up rolls 43 43. One or more pairs of the said takeup rolls may be employed, as deemed advisable; but by preference I employ two pairs thereof, one such pair being arranged between the roll 40 and the guide-rolls 42 42 and the other pair thereof being arranged between the two pairs of guide-rolls. The takeup rolls 43 43 may be guided and controlled in their movements in any approved manner, so as to cause them to take up the slack in the apron at opposite sides of guide-rolls 42 42. Preferably, but not necessarily, the said take-up rolls are arranged to rest upon the apron from above, the guide-rolls supporting the apron from below. I have herein shown the take-up rollers journaled in bearings carried by a sliding frame 44, arranged to move up and down on guides provided on uprights 45, only one of which is shown, the said up rights supporting the brackets 451 451, in which are journaled the guide-rolls 42 42. The upper take-up rolls 43 43 press the fleece lightly into contact with the upper surface of the top portion of the apron 39, and as the apron 39 plays back and forth in unison with the traverse of the carriage 7 they roll upon the fleece without injury thereto.

My take-up devices do not require to have the height of the old camel-back arrangement, and a machine built in conformity with my invention requires less fioor-space,besides requiring less power for the actuation thereof,

What I claim is-- 1. In a machine for forming laps or bats, in combination, a carriage, means to traverse the said carriage, a fleece-conveying apron having a horizontal extension or bight guided upon the said carriage and also extending therefrom, and gravitating take-up devices acting in connection with the apron to take care of the slack therein as the carriage is traversed, substantially as described.

2. In a machine for forming laps or bats, in combination, a carriage, means to traverse the said carriage, a fleece-conveying apron having a horizontal extension or bight guided upon the said carriage and also extending therefrom, take-up rolls actingin connection withintermediate portions of said apron, and guide-rolls to sustain the apron against the 

